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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26747233">dunes</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/101places/pseuds/101places'>101places</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>there is only you [11]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars Legends: Knights of the Old Republic (Video Games)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Fluff, Other, Tatooine (Star Wars), i guess?? does this count as fluff????</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 11:41:15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,632</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26747233</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/101places/pseuds/101places</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Tess tries to break the stress of Tatooine by starting a bet.</p><p>( AKA : kotober is a thing apparently so i guess im doing it )</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Nonbinary Revan/Bastila Shan, Revan/Bastila Shan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>there is only you [11]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1686904</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>dunes</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>sup fellas bet you thought youd seen the last of me</p><p>im alive just tired</p><p>as always, comments/kudos make me feel like im clinging to my (Totally Not) crush while we ride on a swoop bike</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“This is a childish diversion.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh-huh. Sure it is.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It is! We aren’t any closer to finding the Star Map, and-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right. Because </span>
  <em>
    <span>that’s</span>
  </em>
  <span> why you want me to drop this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> supposed to mean?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tess looked at Bastila with a grin. “I think that deep down, you know I’m right. And you just don’t want to admit it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“As if.” Bastila scoffed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then humour me! Prove me wrong! I’ll admit defeat if you can prove it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You ridiculous, dim-witted…” Bastila muttered under her breath, before sighing and relenting. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Fine</span>
  </em>
  <span>. I don’t see an easier way to make you work with me. Tell me your point again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay. My </span>
  <em>
    <span>point</span>
  </em>
  <span> is that I bet that I could lift that pile of rocks up using the Force.” Tess indicated to a generous stack of rocks a few feet away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The Force isn’t a toy-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If I’m wrong I’ll do whatever you say. No complaints.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bastila fell silent, her lips pressed together. “...I’m listening.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tess smiled at her innocently, “If I’m </span>
  <em>
    <span>right</span>
  </em>
  <span>, you have to lighten up for once.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean </span>
  <em>
    <span>lighten up for on</span>
  </em>
  <span>-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That was my bad,” Tess raised their hands in defence, “I was too vague. Let’s see… ah! If I’m right, you have to let me take you for a ride.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bastila’s eyes widened a fraction, and Tess quickly added while trying not to laugh: “On my swoop bike, obviously.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s what I thought you meant.” Bastila responded a touch too quickly. She took a half-second to compose herself, grounding herself in the light to prevent Tess from flustering her, then looked over at the rocks. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The stack was quite large, that was to be sure. She suspected that she would be able to lift it herself with some effort, but Tess was, technically speaking, new to their abilities in the Force. While they were certainly talented- sometimes alarmingly so- it was unlikely that they would be able to lift the rocks- especially in the oppressive heat of Tatooine. While a childish bet such as this should have been beneath her… Tess had been behaving more of a pest than was typical this past day, and the prospect of being able to force them to behave themself was alluring.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, fine.” Bastila relented, pointedly ignoring the satisfied look on Tess’s face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Without another word, Tess took a step towards the stack and readied their stance. They shut their eyes and took a breath, focusing on the Force as it flowed between all things and, then, they reached out - first with their hand, and then with the Force.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The rocks began to shake, and Bastila looked between them and Tess themself, whose teeth were clenched from the exertion. She didn’t need their bond to know that Tess was wearing themself out on this pointless task.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With a smug smile, Bastila opened her mouth to congratulate Tess on their failure, when something changed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The tension on Tess’s face melted away, instead being replaced by a look of calm. Bastila found herself caught staring at them - so much so that she didn’t notice the rocks rise one by one, floating in the air above the dune they had previously been trapped in.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tess opened their eyes, smirking when they made eye contact with Bastila, causing her to look away hurriedly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So,” Tess said, keeping the rocks floating merrily with seeming ease, “how about that ride?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There were a hundred and one reasons, at least, as to why Bastila should not be doing this. It was a waste of their precious time. It was indulging Tess - </span>
  <em>
    <span>Revan’s</span>
  </em>
  <span> - unhelpful wishes. Her Masters back on Dantooine would surely disapprove if they could see her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But, despite that, here she was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, so, I </span>
  <em>
    <span>think</span>
  </em>
  <span> the Swoop’s kitted out for the dunes,” Tess spoke from where they stood on the other side of the bike. “Canderous said it’ll either work or explode. So, hey, at least we’ll know if I fixed it up right pretty conclusively!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You fill me with confidence.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tess laughed. “That’s the spirit!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bastila took a cautious step forwards, looking the Swoop over critically. Something must have shown, either on her face or through their bond, because Tess spoke up again after a moment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know, we don’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>have </span>
  </em>
  <span>to-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t.” Bastila cut in. “If I back out of this, you will never let me forget it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Probably! But it’s still your choice.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bastila gave Tess a dry look, before picking up the spare helmet that hung from one of the Swoop’s handles. With her spare hand, she carefully removed her hair clasps so the helmet could sit comfortably without digging into her scalp painfully. After securing her helmet onto her head, she looked over at Tess again, confused to see that they had made no progress with their own helmet - instead, they were watching Bastila.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?” Bastila asked, suddenly feeling self-conscious.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nothing.” Tess said, finally starting to work on securing their own helmet. “I just hadn’t seen you with your hair down before. It’s pretty. You should wear it like that more often.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bastila furiously ignored the heat she could feel flushing to her cheeks. “Yes, well, appearance isn’t particularly a priority when one is fighting for one’s life. Some of us rather not have our vision impaired by our hair.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tess laughed as they finished securing their helmet and straddled the Swoop, setting their hands over the handles, “That’s fair.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bastila hesitated a moment longer, before letting out a soft breath and moving forwards, sitting on the Swoop behind Tess. She was just grateful that the other Jedi couldn’t see her face - there was no need for them to see how red she had become.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you ready?” Tess asked, their smile evident in their voice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“As I’ll ever be.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Swoop revved, then started off, sending a gust of sand behind them as they went. At first, Tess was careful to keep the Swoop at a steady pace, giving Bastila time to acclimatise to the speed, but gradually they began to go faster, unable to resist the adrenaline spike or the indescribably pleasant sensation of the wind brushing against their face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They sped through the dunes of Tatooine, passing ridges and canyons, Sand People trying and failing to stop the Swoop, and Jawa’s scavenging junk from less-skilled pilots. Sand scattered behind them, some of it scratching at Tess’s face or getting tangled in their hair - Tatooine wasn’t the most ideal place for a joyride, but if it was the only option, then they would make the most of it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They turned a sharp corner and, on instinct, Bastila reached forwards, embracing Tess.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I just don’t want to fall.” Bastila explained herself quickly, but as they travelled further, Tess felt her relax into them, even dropping her head onto their shoulder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tess tried not to lose focus of the road ahead as they felt the tension leave Bastila - both through her body and through their bond.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was late, and Tess had just managed to wash the last of the sand out of their hair when they passed through the common area, surprised to see that Bastila was still awake.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You took your time.” Bastila commented, not looking up from the datapad she was reading.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Long hair, lots of sand. Plus, it’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>Tatooine</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Just about the only planet that makes you actually </span>
  <em>
    <span>enjoy</span>
  </em>
  <span> a cold fresher.” Tess replied, forgoing returning to their bunk and, instead, taking a seat beside Bastila. “I thought you’d be asleep by now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I should be.” Bastila admitted, before finally setting the datapad aside. “But I… wanted to speak with you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tess raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bastila glanced away, avoiding eye contact. “I… wanted to thank you. I’m not sure how... appropriate it is, but I did enjoy today.” She paused, thumb brushing against the fabric of her armour. “...Of course, enjoyment isn’t what’s important. Finding the Star Forge and stopping Malak once and for all- those things are what’s important.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know.” Tess shrugged, looking away themself to take a degree of pressure off of Bastila. “I think the two go hand in hand.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t understand.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You talk to me about the Dark Side a lot. I think most of it is ridiculous, but I </span>
  <em>
    <span>do</span>
  </em>
  <span> listen. The Dark Side… the part that’s truly bad, at least… I think there are a lot of paths to it - I mean, look at Malak, or even Revan. From everything I’ve heard, they started out trying to do the right thing, and then they just… fell, and became everything they were fighting against.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can’t help but wonder how it happened. I wasn’t there, so I can’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>know</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but I wonder if they tried too hard. If everything became too overwhelming, too </span>
  <em>
    <span>serious</span>
  </em>
  <span>. If it became too difficult to separate themselves from the violence surrounding them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was silence for a few moments, before Bastila asked quietly, “What does that have to do with today?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tess looked over at her again and, this time, she didn’t look away. “What we’re doing </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> serious. But we can’t let it become all that we are. We can save the galaxy and give ourselves time to unwind at the same time - and </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> might just save the galaxy tomorrow.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was a strange look on Bastila’s face, and an even stranger feeling through their bond, but after a moment both the look and the feeling faded, replaced with the calm that Tess had learnt to recognise as her mask. They decided not to pry further - for now, Bastila had enough to deal with.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I will think about that.” Bastila spoke eventually, standing up and beginning to make her way to her bunk. “Good night, Tess.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tess smiled as they watched her leave. “Let’s hope we have sweet dreams.”</span>
</p>
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